Wheel of the World
by lostsunsets
Summary: Quinn Fabray has been moved from foster home to foster home after a tragedy. Now she's new to Lima and this family doesn't seem so bad. But what happens when one certain brunette wants to know everything about her? Are her walls going to stay up or crumble to pieces? Will she lose those around her b/c of her past? Or will they grow stronger together? R/R! M for reasons
1. Chapter 1

A/N: Yes, I know it's another new story, when I have so many that aren't finished yet. I just tend to start a new fic when I have writer's block... sue me. I'd like to thank my boring intro to film class, without it I wouldn't have been bored enough to come up with this idea. And I'd like to thank Ms. Underwood for the use of the title! Anyway, I hope you enjoy! :)

* * *

Seventeen year old Quinn Fabray stared up at the brick house that she was going to be staying in until she turned eighteen in nine months. She didn't have any idea what laid behind that door, but what she did know was that she didn't have a gut wrenching feeling like she did the last house she stayed out. Shaking her head, she rid herself from the memories. She then felt a soft hand rest upon her shoulder, and gave her a reassuring squeeze. The woman gave her a gentle smile and walked up the rest of the pathway to the front door. Turning to the young teen, she said, "Don't worry kid, this house and family are different from the others. They'll treat you right, and I'm sure their little boy will absolutely love you."

Quinn gave her a nervous smile and the woman raised her fist and knocked on the wood. Footsteps echoed through the house as they approached the door and Quinn held her breath as the door opened and revealed a slightly older couple; a woman with brown hair and a man with salt and pepper in his chestnut hair. They held a sparkle in her eyes, a sparkle that she has never seen before. Smiles reached their eyes as they took the sight of her in; short blonde hair, with stunning hazel eyes that held specks of gold. They didn't notice the vertical scar on her lips and the scar beneath her left eye. Just the look of uncertainty in her eyes as she stared back at them.

Gripping her bags tighter, her knuckles going white, she didn't know what they were thinking, or why they weren't saying anything to her. She had the urge to bolt back to the car until the woman, who couldn't be more than forty, said in a kind and gentle voice, "You must be Quinn." The blonde nodded and the two adults stepped to the side and allowed the girl and the social worker into the home.

The house was spacious and staring in the foyer with the three adults made her shift foot from foot. The woman then introduced herself. "One thing we need to address right now, Quinn..." Quinn held her breath and looked up at her. "I don't want to hear any of this "Mr. and Mrs. Roberts" from you; call us Matt and Kate." Quinn released her breath and nodded with a small smile. Kate then continued, "There's also a little boy wondering around here somewhere, probably causing trouble…" she trailed off just as there was a cat sprinting across the floor. "And here he comes." She smiled up at her husband with a knowing look.

And soon enough a blonde seven year old boy came running into the hall after the cat. Matt was quick to scoop him up as he ran by. The boy giggled as he tried to fight off his dad, who just held unto him tighter. The boy calmed down when Matt whispered something into his ear and his eyes shot to Quinn's. Going limp in Matt's arms, Matt placed him back down and the boy stared up at Quinn with curiosity. "Hi! I'm Charlie! What's your name?" He asked with his hand straight out.

Quinn's eyes softened and she was reminded of younger version of herself, before everything… Shaking her head she dropped a duffle bag to the floor and shook the young boy's hand. "I'm Quinn."

The adults shared a smile then Kate said, "Hey, Char? Why don't you go show Quinn up to her room while we boring adults finish up the paperwork?"

The boy's face lit up as he grabbed Quinn's hand and dragged her up the stairs and led her to the second door on the right. Opening the door, Quinn saw a bookshelf full of books, a laptop on the desk along with a vase full of lilies beside a lamp, a stereo with a shelf full of different kinds of music, a bathroom with all the necessities, and a queen sized bed with light green sheets complete with a teddy bear resting against the pillows. The girl was in awe at how much there was in the room. It was so much more than she had expected. Hesitantly she placed her bags on the floor besides the bed. Walking over to the book shelf, she ran her finger over the spines of them and took in the different titles: _The Great Gatsby, Pride and Prejudice, Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, and Alice in Wonderland. _The list went on and on. Tears welled up in her eyes as she admired them. Never had she seen so many books. Being home schooled and with parents so strict she wasn't even allowed to the library didn't give her many options of books to read. She only had the Bible to read. Only, and always, the Bible.

The sound of the bed squeaking broke her out of her thoughts and she turned back towards the bed. Charlie was lying on it, with his hands behind his head and legs crossed, looking like he owned the place. Looking up at the plastic stars on her ceiling and around the room, he nodded. "Not a bad place you've got here." Quinn couldn't help but crack a smile at the seven year old. He then bolted up and had a huge smile on his face. "Oh! I almost forgot!" He then raced out of the room and down the hall, leaving Quinn to wonder what happened.

Not a minute went by before he showed up, poking his head around the doorframe. Beaming up at Quinn, he motioned to the bed and ordered, "Sit on the bed and close your eyes." Quinn raised an eyebrow at the boy. _What could he be up to? _She wondered but followed the order anyway.

He walked up to Quinn and stopped before her and whispered, "Open your eyes." She did and what she saw before her, she couldn't believe. Before her, in the boys small hands, laid an acoustic guitar. Disbelief flooded through her. This was all too much. The books, the computer, the music, and now the guitar, she couldn't accept all of this. Just then a figure appeared in the doorway and Matt smiled kindly at her, like a father would at his daughter.

"C'mon Quinn, we've got some talking to do. Charlie, why don't you go play while your mom and I talk to Quinn here?" The boy nodded and ran off. Matt called after him, "And leave the cat alone!" Quinn could've sworn she hear laughter in the distance.

"I can't accept all of this," Quinn blurted out as Matt turned back to her.

Furrowing his eye brows he looked at what she was talking about and simply smiled before walking further into the room. Making his way over to her, he sat down on the opposite end of the bed and looked at her. Clasping his hands together he said, "That's too bad, because we're giving it to you." Sensing her hesitance, he continued, "We had a daughter once, her name was Beth. She looked like Kate, but she had my wilds. She read a lot; in fact those books were hers. She always held herself with such grace and pride, but she cared too much. She was killed while trying to protect her friend from a group of drunken boys while she was only sixteen. Quinn, you remind me of her quite a bit. You hold yourself the same way she did. We were told you liked to read, and Kate and I decided it'd be good for you to read those books on the shelf while you stayed here. We heard you liked to play guitar, so I had my old guitar refurbished, and we knew you'd like a computer for school work, so we got you a laptop. I know it seems like a lot, but we really just want you to feel at home here. I know you have had a rough life so far, but Kate and I will try our damnest to make you happy and help you in any way possible. Alright?" Quinn wiped away the tears that had made their way down her cheeks and nodded. "Also, Charlie will want to know all about you, but I've already told him not to push or bug you too much. He gets excited when he meets new people." They shared a smile and when Kate called for them to come down, they obeyed.

Arriving in the living room Quinn and Matt saw Kate already sitting in a chair and the social worker long gone. Kate was drinking a cup of tea and when she saw the two had arrived, she smiled and motioned for Quinn to have a seat on the opposite couch. Sitting down nervously she placed her hands in her lap and began to pick at the nail polish on her nails. Kate crossed her legs as her husband sat down in his chair besides his wife.

Sitting there Quinn could hear Charlie playing his Gameboy, and felt the cat rub up against her leg before releasing a soft purr and lying against her foot. Kate then began, "So Quinn, as you know: school starts tomorrow. And Matt and I already agreed to let you use his old truck, you're insured and everything." Quinn's breathed hitched. Who exactly were these people and why were they being so generous? Especially to her? "We do have a few conditions to lie down," Kate continues. "Every Sunday night we go over to our neighbor's for dinner at seven. They have a daughter your age, she's not one to have a lot of friends and we're not asking you to befriend her, just to be nice to her. She could use some kindness in her life. Also your curfew will be at midnight on the weekdays and one on the weekends. We were both teenagers once but we also trust you not to get into any trouble." Quinn nodded.

"One last thing: you'll have your fair share of chores to do, mainly just keeping your room clean, and helping out with Charlie when we ask you to. Think you can handle that?" Matt asked. Quinn gave a small smile and nodded. Clasping his hands together he leaned forward in his seat and looked the girl in the eye. "We know you've been through a lot, but we'll be here if you ever want to talk or if you need anything."

"T-Thank you, thank you both for everything. I promise to do my best not to let you down…"

"You'll never let us down. Now go get ready for dinner, we're leaving in half an hour."

Quinn smiled and left the room, making her way towards the stairs where she saw Charlie muttering at his Pokémon game. Sitting down beside him, she looked over his shoulder and saw him trying to defeat a Gym Leader. When he lost again, he clenched his jaw and said, "Stupid game."

Extending her hand, she asked, "Can I see?" The boy looked at her skeptically but handed her his DS. "Erika huh? Well, let's see which Pokémon you have." Pressing down on some buttons she nodded at the grass and rock Pokémon he had selected. Handing him back his console she motioned for the boy to follow her up the stairs, which he did.

Jumping on her bed, he sat waiting for any word of advice she had to offer him. "Fire tends to destroy her grass Pokémon more than the ones you have right now. You should be fine if you withdraw your Charizard from the PC, maybe buy some potions, and go back to battle her." Doing as she told him, he sat there and continued to play his game while she changed into one of the dresses that were hanging in her closet and slipped on a pair of wedges. She was in the bathroom applying make-up when she heard Charlie's victory cry. Finishing, she exited the bathroom and quirk an eyebrow at Charlie. "Did you win?"

Running over to the blonde the boy threw his arms around her waist and hugged her. She was startled to say the least, but eventually hugged the small boy back. "You were so right! Thank you! I've been trying to beat her for weeks!"

Pulling apart, Quinn smiled down at the young boy and gave him a high five. Looking up at the blonde, the boy's eyes widened. "You're pretty, Quinn."

"You're not too bad yourself, now go get cleaned up. Your dad said we're leaving soon."

"Awesome. You're going to love the Berry men and their daughter. They're awesome!" With another smile, Charlie left the room and ran to get ready.

* * *

A/N: Thoughts? Review! Next chapter Quinn meets this "Rachel" for the first time! :)


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Wow! Thank you all for the kind words and the support! Also, I wanted to apologize if I've upset any of you with I guess, the stereotype of home schoolers? I know most home schoolers are only allowed to read the Bible and such, but for the sake of the story and Quinn's past and parents I wrote it that way. Hell, some of my best friends were home schooled for a while, so I apologize again if I've upset anyone, it wasn't my intention. I hope it doesn't make you not want to read this anymore. Anyway, I'm posting this in honor of General Conference weekend! (yes, I'm a Mormon get over it) I know this chapter is a little shorter, but the next one will have more to it. Okay, enough talking! Enjoy! :)

* * *

Seven o'clock rolled around and Quinn stood on the front porch of the Berry's house along with the Roberts clan. Seconds passed and Quinn continued to pick at her nails while they waited for the door to open. And when the door opened to reveal a tall black man with a beaming smile, Quinn gaze fell to the floor. "Well come on in Roberts clan," he beamed in his deep, booming voice. Quinn followed the family across the threshold; little did she know that this moment was going to change everything she's ever believed.

Closing the door behind them, the man exchanged hellos with Kate, Matt and Charlie before looking over to Quinn and extending his hand. "And you must be the lovely Quinn, welcome to our home. Please call me Leroy."

Taking his hand, she gave him a firm handshake like she was taught to do and put on a timid smile. "It's nice to meet you."

"My you are a beautiful young lady. Hiram is just going to love you." Leroy said as he led the group out of the foyer and into the living room area. "Hiram and Rachel are in the kitchen finishing dinner, it should be ready in about ten minutes or so. I hope you like lasagna, Quinn. Or if you're vegan like our Rachel, she's working on a delicious tofu stir fry."

"I'm sure both will be delightful. You have a beautiful home, Mr. B-I mean Leroy."

"Thank you Quinn." They shared a small smile before Leroy turned to Matt and began talking about work. Apparently they both worked for the same law firm. Kate was talking to Charlie about something and Quinn's eyes looked around the room.

A flat screen was mounted to the wall, bookshelves full of music, movies, and books were on the far right side of the wall out of the way. A grand piano was present in the back of the room with family photos on the wall above it. The furniture was black leather, and the walls were a soft cream. And over the fire place by the TV were several framed photos all of a brunette girl with bright, shiny eyes.

Before she knew it, Quinn felt a gentle tug on her sleeve, looking down at the hand tugging on her shirt and saw it was Charlie. He smiled up at her and said, "It's time to eat, Quinn. C'mon."

Smiling at the young boy she followed everyone to the dining room and her eyes instantly fell on a small brunette. Their eyes locked and Quinn could've sworn her heart leapt in her chest. She didn't know what it meant but she couldn't tear her eyes from those sparkling chocolate irises.

Her thoughts were interrupted when Kate softly touched her hand and said, "Quinn this is Hiram and Rachel."

Quinn looked over to the older man who was now standing in front of her with his hand outstretched in greeting. His glasses were in firm position on his nose and framed his brown eyes. Shaking his hand, she offered a smile. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Berry."

"The pleasure is all mine, my dear. And please call me Hiram, Mr. Berry is my father."

Dropping his hand she noticed Rachel approach her and gave her a smile as well. "Hello Quinn, I'm Rachel." Rachel beamed as she too, stuck out her hand and waited for the blonde to take it.

When she took the smaller girl's hand though, she felt a surge of electricity flow through her. As if everything up until this moment didn't exist, but in the back of her mind she knew that wasn't true. She had the scars to prove it. Still, she knew in her heart that something was changing in this moment, even though she didn't know what it was yet. Staring into those eyes again, she felt grounded and she never wanted to feel otherwise ever again.

"I'm Quinn." She said, and Rachel dropped their hands which gave Quinn a feeling of loss when she did.

"Um, now that she's meet everyone can we please eat?" Charlie perked up as he looked over at the Berry men.

"Sure thing, buddy," Leroy laughed as he picked up the boy and placed him in his usual seat.

Dinner was going well to say the least. They Berry men would ask Quinn questions about what she enjoyed doing or what her favorite music artist was. Quinn happily answered all their questions, relaxing more and more when they didn't ask about what happened to her in her past that led her to staying with the Roberts. The rest of the evening was spent with aimless chatter, Leroy and Matt disappearing into Leroy's office to talk about a case they were working on, Hiram and Kate talking about this and that, and Charlie bragging to Rachel about his newest video game accomplishment. Quinn sat there on the opposite end of the couch watching Charlie and Rachel interact as if they were more than just neighbors.

Watching the interaction Quinn silently hoped that one day Rachel would see her more than a new neighbor, and as something more. For some unknown reason she wanted to know everything there was about the smaller girl. She wanted to know Rachel unlike anyone else ever knew anyone, and she wanted Rachel to know her in return. She wants Rachel to see more than just a pretty face with a dark past whenever she looked at her.

There was something different about the brunette that the blonde hasn't seen before. And as much as she wanted to spill every secret to this girl she doesn't even know, she was also terrified at what it all meant. It wasn't the fact that Rachel was a girl considering Quinn has known for quite a while that she was gay. No. It was the fact that the girl was able to put butterflies in her stomach and make her head go dizzy and she and Rachel have yet to actually share a conversation. It was ridiculous really: crushing on a girl you've only met an hour ago.

One thing Quinn was certain though: it was going to take a lot for Quinn to be worthy of anybody's love; including Rachel's.

Shaking her head at herself, she felt a familiar tug on her dress. Her suspicions were confirmed when she glanced down and saw Charlie staring at her with his brow furrowed in concern. "You okay?" He whispered.

Nodding, Quinn gave the boy a smile in return. "Just thinking, is all."

"Do you sing, Quinn?" Rachel said, her angelic voice sounding hopeful.

"Not very well, and only when I'm alone."

"You should think about joining our school's glee club. We are in need of some more members." Rachel looked hopeful, almost pleading with the blonde to join.

"I'll think about it." And Rachel's megawatt smile was worth it.

* * *

Monday morning came faster than Quinn would've liked. Her alarm clock was blaring at seven am sharp, and she had half a mind to break the damn thing. Begrudgingly she rolled over and smacked the off button on the alarm. Forcing herself to sit up, she stretched her tired muscles and tossed the covers off to begin getting ready for her first day of school.

Half an hour later, Quinn had on her favorite pair of jeans with a light green tee shirt. Grabbing her messenger bag, she went over to the bookshelf and randomly selected a book to bring. Looking down at the title with eager eyes, she read: _Divergent_. Placing the book in her bag, along with a few notebooks and a couple pens, she walked out the bedroom door. Her Chuck Taylors echoed in the hall as she made her way down the wooden stairs and into the kitchen to grab some breakfast.

Entering the kitchen she saw Matt, Kate and Charlie all already eating various breakfast foods. "Good morning Quinn, ready for school?" Kate said as she took a sip from her coffee mug.

"I guess so."

"It'll be fine, just remember to pick up your schedule at the front office. The truck is set to go; I put a fresh tank of gas in it this morning."

"Thank you, again."

Smiling Matt motioned to the counter which had a pot of coffee and other breakfast foods laid out. "Help yourself to whatever you like."

Grabbing a cup of coffee, an apple from the fruit bowl, and a few strips of bacon she thanked them and made her way out the door. Starting the truck she pulled out of the driveway and towards the local high school.

* * *

A/N: Don't yell at me! Next chapter will have Quinn at school, and the new people she will meet. Along with a slushied Rachel. :) Suggestions? Thoughts? Review!


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Hey guys! So I'm posting this right before my math class! Thank you all for the reviews and sweet words. Keep them coming! They show me you want more! :) Anyway, onward to the next chapter! Enjoy!

* * *

Quinn stood there in the middle of the hallway with her messenger bag slung over her shoulder. Dressed like any other teenaged girl, wanting to blend in as best she could. She was the new girl, the girl who had to transfer two weeks into year, and who knows where she'll be in a month. Taking a deep breath she made her way down the hall and made her way towards her locker. All around her students were talking and laughing with each other, and those with boyfriends/girlfriends had found lockers to kiss and gush about on. Arriving at her locker, Quinn twisted the lock to match the numbers that were printed on the bottom of her schedule. After putting in the last number, she tried to lift the metal handle, only to have it get stuck. Huffing, she used all her strength to try and get it to open, finally it did. And her arm went flying back from the amount of force she used to pry it open and the locker door flew open banging against the one beside it. Sighing, she took her bag off her shoulder and grabbed the materials she wouldn't need until later in the day and placed them inside.

After she got her books arranged in a specific order, she closed her locker and spun around too quickly, effectively knocking into someone causing their books to drop. She let out a frustrated groan and knelt down to help pick up the books and papers that were now on the ground. "I'm so sorry. I spun around too quickly and I didn't see you, I'm sorry," she apologized. When she was met with silence, she looked up and saw that the person she had ran into was a certain short brunette, whom she just met last night, and her face was covered in what appeared to be blue slushy. "Oh my goodness, Rachel! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine. I-I just gotta go," she replied before she finished gathering her things and running off to the closest bathroom.

Quinn watched her retreat into the nearest bathroom with a troubled expression. Who would throw a frozen beverage in somebody's face; especially someone as nice and kind as Rachel?

Behind her she heard stifled laughter coming from a few lockers down the hall. Turning she saw a group of jocks, one with an empty slushy cup in his hand, standing around spilt blue slushy on the faded red and white tiles. So these were the guys that decided it would be fun to slushy Rachel?

Straightening up, Quinn held her head high and marched over to the group of three jocks, determination on her face. Offering a sickingly sweet smile, Quinn stood in front of the jock with the empty cup. "Excuse me…" She began.

"Karofsky," he said with a dumb smile on his face.

"Karofsky." What a stupid name, she thought. "May I see that cup?"

Shrugging he handed it to her. What he didn't expect was for her to chuck it at his head. "What the hell?" He exclaimed as it bounced off and landed on the floor by his feet. Grabbing his Leatherman jacket she shoved him up against the locker.

"Think it's funny to through frozen beverages into someone's face do you? What if she slipped on that ice and hit her head against the lockers, or smacked her head against the tile? What would happen then? She could've really gotten hurt, jackass. So here's what you're going to do: you're going to apologize to Rachel and never do it again or I'll kick your ass. Clear?" Her blood was boiling with every second she spent sharing the same air as him. "I asked you a question." She said with a dangerous voice.

"Yes, I get it."

"Good. And you better apologize before tomorrow; otherwise I'm going to come after you." With a shove, and a glare at the other boys, she walked away and made her way towards the bathroom to check on Rachel.

Opening the door, she saw Rachel almost done washing her hair in the sink. Slowly she approached the brunette. Picking at her nails, she stared at Rachel through the mirror, concern etched in her features. "Rachel? Are you okay? Do you need anything?" She asked, wanting to just take the brunette into her arms and never let go.

"I'll be okay. It's not like this is the first time this has happened… I just wish I remembered to pack an extra shirt this morning," Rachel replied.

"Here." In a second Quinn removed her tee shirt, revealing a white tank underneath and a few scars littering her shoulders. Handing the shirt out to Rachel she waited for the girl to accept it.

Rachel's eyes filled with tears as she stared at the shirt in Quinn's hand. Who was this girl? Not even twenty-four hours after they've met and she was offering her the shirt off her back. Rachel couldn't remember a time when anybody was this kind to her. "Quinn, you can't go around in a tank."

"And you can't go around in a wet, cold, stained sweater; you'll catch a cold if you wear that all day. Rachel, just please take the shirt. I can't stand knowing that you'll be in that thing all day. Please, for the sake of my conscious?" Quinn threw in one of her crooked smiles for good measure.

Sighing, Rachel nodded and took the shirt, smiling in gratitude. Quinn turned around as Rachel removed her sweater and slipped on the shirt. Squinting, her eyes found Quinn's exposed upper back and saw evidence of more scars across her shoulder blades. She wondered how many scars Quinn had. Did they litter her entire back? And what about her abdomen? Did she have scars there as well? Ridding her head of those thoughts, she turned around. "Thank you, Quinn."

Turing around Quinn smiled at the sight of Rachel in her shirt. "Don't mention it, besides it looks better on you anyway." Taking a step closer to Rachel, Quinn stared into those brown eyes and said, "Karofsky won't be bothering you anymore."

"What'd you do?"

Quinn shrugged and answered, "I just told him to back off or he'll have to deal with me."

"You didn't have to do that, Quinn."

"I did," Quinn nodded. Silence fell upon them and they simply stared at each other.

Their moment was interrupted by the morning bell.

"I guess we should head to class," Quinn said.

"Which class do you have?"

Pulling her schedule out of her back pocket Quinn looked it over and replied, "Um, English with Grant."

Rachel's face lit up and she said, "Me too, c'mon let's go." With that said she took Quinn's hand and let her out the door, and down the empty hall to the classroom.

Lunch came sooner than expected, and even though the girls only shared English they've agreed to meet in the auditorium for lunch. As Quinn was putting her books away and grabbing her lunch she heard someone whispering a couple lockers down. "Go talk to her, dude."

"But she could totally beat me up. I mean you heard what happened with her and Karofsky this morning." The other voice said.

Rolling her eyes, Quinn closed her locker and turned around to see an Asian boy and a blonde boy leaning against the opposite set of lockers. "Did you guys want something?" She asked.

"I-We just wanted to introduce ourselves to the girl who beat up Karofsky," the blonde said as the Asian nodded. So much for blending in, Quinn thought. Raising her eyebrow she waited for them to continue. "Anyway, I'm Sam, and this is Mike."

"I'm Quinn. Nice to meet both of you, but I must go. I'm meeting someone for lunch."

"Rachel," Mike asked and Quinn nodded. "That was real cool of you to help her out like that this morning. We're in glee with her and try to keep Karofsky and the other dickheads from messing with her. We haven't really succeeded yet…"

"I'm glad Rachel's got boys like you to look after her. Now if you don't mind, I really gotta go meet Rachel."

"Sure. We'll see you later, Quinn."

As soon as they left Quinn made her way down to the auditorium and after about five minutes of looking for it she finally found it. Opening the door she saw Rachel sitting on the stage, her feet dangling off as she ate her lunch quietly. Closing the door behind her, Quinn walked up to the stage and took a seat across from Rachel in the front row. "Hey."

Rachel looked up at the sound of her voice and smiled. "You came," Rachel said in a shocked voice.

"Of course I came. I told you I would, didn't I?"

"Yes. But most people I know say one thing and do the opposite."

Taking out her lunch Quinn looked at her with a confused look. "Why?"

"People just don't like me."

"That's not true. Sam and Mike seem to like you. And you've got your dads, and the Roberts love you, especially Charlie… And I like you."

Snapping her head up, Rachel stared at her with her big brown eyes. "You do? But you don't even know me."

"Well, that's true, I don't know you. But I like what I see so far. You're kind and beautiful both inside and out. That much I can already see in you, Rachel. And those people who don't like you, well who needs them? You're a special kind of person, Rachel Berry. Even in the bathroom when you seemed so sad, you shined like one of the stars I see at in the sky at night. People who can't see that don't deserve to even breathe the same oxygen as you." Smiling at the speechless girl, Quinn took a bit out of her peanut butter and jelly sandwich.

Smiling under Quinn's gaze, Rachel smiled at the kindness this girl was showing her; the same girl who could throw a two hundred pound boy up against a locker and threaten him, then offer her the shirt off her back, and now give reassurance when she needed it. "Now can we just eat and get to know each other better?" Quinn asked, trying to move on from the serious stuff.

Nodding Rachel asked, "Can I ask about your scars?"

Quinn stiffened in her seat. She knew Rachel would ask this eventually, but she didn't think it'd happen so soon. "Honestly… I'd rather you didn't."

"Of course. I'm sorry. I'm didn't mean to dampen the mood or anything. And I clearly don't want to but in into your past, or anything."

"It's not that… I'm just not ready to talk about them yet. And when I am, I do want to tell you. Just not now, not yet."

An awkward silence fell upon them and lasted for a minute or two before Rachel broke the silence. "So what kind of music do you like?" Quinn smiled at the question and the girls spent the rest of lunch talking about music, movies, and hobbies, like they didn't just meet last night.

When Quinn got home that afternoon she said hello to Kate and Charlie before going up to her room to get a start on her homework. And before too long she was falling asleep on her bed, with her textbooks and other papers scattered on her bed, with only one person on her mind: Rachel.

* * *

A/N: Thoughts? Review!


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: I know I'm the worst! So sorry it took me this long. Hopefully I'll be able to update sooner than this took me! Sorry if this sucks, btw! I had majors writer's block and then life happened. And I'm sorry! Also, sorry if this is kinda all over the place. I wanted to write some faberry interaction and also some more charlie and quinn cause they are just so cute. Anyway, I hope you like it. Enjoy! :)

* * *

A knock on the door startled Quinn as she bolted up from her nap on her bed. Looking around it took her a moment to remember where she was and what day it was. She ran her hands over her face, sat up and called out. "Yeah, come in."

The door opened and Charlie stood in the doorway. He offered her a small smile before saying, "There's someone at the door for you, Quinn."

Standing up from the bed, Quinn asked, "Who is it?"

Charlie just smiled at her and walked out of the room, Quinn following behind him.

Reaching the bottom step of the staircase, she saw Rachel standing there with her tee shirt folded up in her hands, and in another one of her animal sweaters. Matt gave the girls a smile before returning to his home office. "Hey," Rachel said. She then held out the shirt for the girl to take. "I just wanted to say thanks again for letting me borrow it for the day. It was a real life saver. Anyway, it's freshly washed." Quinn took a step forward and took the shirt from the brunette.

"Glad it worked out for you." Quinn smiled.

Rachel returned the smile as they stood in silence in the foyer. The silence grew and awkwardness grew with each passing second before Rachel couldn't take it anymore. "I was also wondering if you'd like to join me for lunch again tomorrow. I really enjoyed talking with you, Quinn. And as you've probably noticed: I don't have many friends. But I don't want to pressure you to hang out with me if you don't want to. I understand if you don't want to. I know I'm a bit weird and talk too much for my own good. But I'd really like to get to know you, Quinn. I think you're smart and the prettiest girl I've ever met. And now I'm rambling."

Quinn watched the girl with an amused smile. "Sure, Rachel, I'd love to spend lunch with you again tomorrow. Auditorium?"

"Actually depending on the weather, I was hoping we could go eat out on the bleachers?"

"Whatever you want, Rach." As the nickname rolled off her tongue, Rachel broke out into an even bigger smile. "What?"

Shaking her head, Rachel brought her smile down a notch. "Nothing. It's just, nobody aside from my dads and the Roberts have ever called me 'Rach'. It's just nice to hear someone else call me that."

"Well get used to it, Rach. Cause I give all my friends nicknames."

"We're friends?" Rachel asked a hopeful glint in her eyes.

"Well, yeah. Aren't we?"

Before Quinn could say anything else, Rachel launched herself into Quinn's arms. A couple seconds passed before Quinn sighed into the hug. She didn't know what it was, but the feeling of having the smaller girl in her arms made her heart swell. Then just as quick as it happened, Rachel was out of the girl's embrace. Quinn was still swooning when Rachel broke the hug and stood before her once again.

Looking up, Rachel brushed a loose strand of hair back behind her ear. "Sorry about that. I tend to let my emotions get the better of me and sometimes I forget most people don't like being hugged by those they've just met."

"It's alright, Rachel." Quinn didn't bring up the fact that when she hugged her it brought up butterflies in her stomach, or that no one has really hugged her since before—

"Anyway, I should probably be going home. I still have homework."

Quinn tried to not let the disappoint show on her face at Rachel's words. "Yeah, I'll see you tomorrow." With one last shared smile, Rachel left the house and crossed the short distance to her own house, leaving Quinn wondering about the short brunette, who managed to enter her life with such force.

Quinn was just turning around when she saw Charlie standing there by the living room entryway. His bright blue eyes were wide as he stared at her. Quinn furrowed her eyes as she looked at the small boy, wondering what could be going on in that head of his. Then she saw his usually shiny, happy eyes begin to tear up and she knew what he'd be staring at. Her heart clenched at the thought of him finding out about what was beneath her shirt on her back. She cursed herself for not thinking to put on a shirt when she got home. She knew the scars ran to the edges of her shoulders, and from under the tank top she knew people saw. But she didn't care what the kids at school thought when they saw them, just Rachel. But Rachel knew not to ask about them now.

Now Charlie was standing there looking horrified. Quinn knew what she had to do, so she took the boy's hand and led them up the stairs to her room. Entering the room, she softly closed the door behind her and led them over to the bed where they both, feet dangling off the edge. Scratching her left eyebrow she looked down at their shoes and was about to say something to explain them when she was interrupted.

"Do they hurt?" She turned to face him and was met with wide, worried eyes that continued to break her heart.

She shook her head. "Not anymore," she replied, keeping her voice gentle.

"Did someone hurt you?"

Taking a deep breath, Quinn took his hand into her's and said, "Some people aren't good in this world, Charlie. Some want to protect, and other's want to hurt. And someone did hurt me."

His bottom lip trembled and his eyes began to water yet again. "But you're perfect. Why would somebody want to hurt you?"

She gave him a soft smile. "I don't know. The person who hurt me, were hurt themselves I think. They just didn't know how to handle themselves."

"Are you going to hurt me because you were hurt?" He looked down at their conjoined hands. Charlie noticed how soft her hands were and looking closer, he saw faint white lines on the back of her hands

Quinn's heart shattered at his question. She couldn't even fathom the thought of hurting anybody, especially not Charlie. He was just a sweet seven year old, who had too much love to share. The mention of anyone wanting to hurt him made her fists clench. Quinn gently caressed his cheek with her left hand, while her right was still holding his hand tightly. She then stared him in the eyes through her own teary eyes. "How could you even think that I'd want to hurt you? I'd never hurt you. _I promise. _I'm one of those people who want to protect, Char. And you're my little brother now, aren't cha? And what are big sisters supposed to do? They protect. Don't they?"

He nodded.

"So I'm going to protect you, until the day I die, alright? No matter what happens, you've got me always. Deal?"

Again he nodded.

"Good. Now can I have a Charlie hug?" She asked as she opened her arms.

Charlie threw his arms around her neck and hugged her as tight as he could, which Quinn immediately returned. She then felt the hot tears on her neck and smiled weakly as he cried silently in her arms. "I'm sorry you got hurt," he whispered. "If I'd have been there I would've stopped them."

Smiling at the boy, she whispered back in his ear, "I know you would've."

Breaking the hug, Charlie wiped at his face and then shyly looked up at her. "I have another question…. Can I play my Gameboy in here while you work on your homework?"

Laughing, Quinn ruffled his blond locks and smiled through her tears. "Of course you can kiddo."

The sound of Charlie's Pokémon game rang throughout the room as soon as they all had dinner. Charlie laid against her headboard as he played while the blonde worked on her math. Quinn would occasionally hum along to the catchy tunes, or she'd take a break from her homework just to watch him try and defeat another gym leader.

It was close to ten o'clock when she was finished catching up on all of her assignments. Getting up she stretched and grinned when she saw the seven year old, passed out on her pillows. Quinn packed up her books and papers to place on her desk before she placed a kiss to the young boy's head. "Yes. I will protect you from all the evils of the world," she whispered. She then ventured off to go find Matt so he could carry the growing boy to his room.

* * *

A/N: thoughts? Review! :)


End file.
